Product Description

Submissive to her father's will, Lady Leta of Aiven travels far to meet a prospective husband she neither knows nor loves--Lord Alistair, future king of the North Country.

But within the walls of Gaheris Castle, all is not right. Vicious night terrors plague Lord Alistair to the brink of insanity. Whispers rise from the family crypt. The reclusive castle Chronicler, Leta's tutor and friend, possesses a secret so dangerous it could cost his life and topple the North Country into civil war.

And far away in a hidden kingdom, a fire burns atop the Temple of the Sacred Flame. Acolytes and priestesses serve their goddess to the limits of their lives and deaths. No one is safe while the Dragonwitch searches for the sword that slew her twice...and for the one person who can wield it.

Publisher's Description

Submissive to her father's will, Lady Leta of Aiven travels far to meet a prospective husband she neither knows nor loves--Lord Alistair, future king of the North Country.

But within the walls of Gaheris Castle, all is not right. Vicious night terrors plague Lord Alistair to the brink of insanity. Whispers rise from the family crypt. The reclusive castle Chronicler, Leta's tutor and friend, possesses a secret so dangerous it could cost his life and topple the North Country into civil war.

And far away in a hidden kingdom, a fire burns atop the Temple of the Sacred Flame. Acolytes and priestesses serve their goddess to the limits of their lives and deaths. No one is safe while the Dragonwitch searches for the sword that slew her twice...and for the one person who can wield it.

Author Bio

Anne Elisabeth Stengl is the author of the acclaimed TALES OF GOLDSTONE WOOD series, including Starflower; Veiled Rose; winner of the 2012 Christy Award for Visionary novel; and Heartless, the winner of the 2011 Christy Award for First Novel. She makes her home in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she lives with her husband, Rohan, a dog, and a passel of cats. Learn more at www.anneelisabethstengl.blogspot.com.

Anne Elisabeth Stengel writes another fantastic book in this series! Just when I think her novels can't get any better and are the best yet, she surprises me and does even better with the next novel! "Dragonwitch" was definitely no exception!

I'll admit that for a while in the beginning I was lost and confused. I had read the entire series previously, but I felt there was a lot going on and it took me a while to catch up. However once I did, the story really took me off on an exciting journey!

All the mortals were extremely flawed characters and were so easy to relate to. They all struggled with some kind of doubt concerning the realness of Faerie stories they had learned from a child. They would eventually have to face their ideas/beliefs when meeting these people of legends. Are they going to believe their words of truth or are they going to be so full of doubt that their eyes won't open to the power of their words? This is a question that the characters struggle with throughout "Dragonwitch," with some of the characters believing in what they thought didn't exist and others not really seeing the true light!

Something that has blown me away with each one of Anne's novel is the powerful message she writes throughout the series. Someone might ask "How can any fantasy novel have a Biblical message?". Well Anne definitely answers this question with a big YES throughout Tales of Goldstone Woord. The message in "Dragonwtich" left me tear-eyed, which was Jesus is our living water and has called us to a greater purpose. There are other inner lying messages, but this one was superior to them all. People might view themselves as a person of no beauty, worthless, different, doubtful, and many other negative thoughts that the devil wants us to believe. The reason being is because he knows if we live and believe these thoughts then we will never truly embrace the calling that Jesus has spoken over our lives and won't be able to walk the path He has laid for us. He died on the cross so that we may have living water, but we as people have to believe and trust in Him. It doesn't matter if He calls/tells to do something that would seem impossible to not only us, but everyone around. He makes us a new creation through our faith in Him so that we truly can do the impossible through His name and fulfill the purpose He had for us since the beginning of time.

I strongly encourage anyone to read this novel who loves the typical fantasy of goblins, dragons, and a beautiful unicorn because not only are the characters unforgettable, but the storyline has a message that will not be easily forgotten as well.

When the world you know starts to crumble, what do you do? Do you have the courage to stand up and fight, or do you flee?

The House of Lights has been hidden for centuries and many do not believe that it's real. Children's stories tell of the Smallman who will open the doors of the House of Lights so that everyone can hear the Sphere songs once again. The Smallman's time has come, but who is he?

The Dragonwitch is desperately searching for the sword that has slain her twice, once more and she will die her final death. Who will defeat the Dragonwitch before she grows to powerful? Who has the power to wield the sword?

Dragonwitch, by Anne Elisabeth Stengl is the fifth book in the "Tales of the Goldstone Wood" series. This is a very interesting tale. At it's face value, it's a fantasy novel but it has an underlying Christian theme This isn't immediately apparent, or at least it wasn't to me. It wasn't until halfway through the tale, that it suddenly hit me...

God has created each of us. Although we may not appear perfect in our own eyes, we are perfect in his. He can take even the most "insignificant" of us and use us to show his Love, Mercy and Might to all people.Another element is the theme of truth. The tale of the House of Lights is just that, for many people, a fairy tale. Something to be read to children and left at that. Like the tale, many choose not to believe the stories of the Bible. "What you believe cannot affect the truth of the matter". (page 52) No matter what you personally choose to believe, it cannot affect the truths told in the Bible.I also see how the reference to the "House of Light" could be Heaven and that, just as the the citizens in the story are waiting for the Smallman, we here on earth are waiting for the coming of Jesus Christ. Dragonwitch took me longer than usual to read. There were times that I become confused and frustrated to the point where I would put the book down, but something kept pulling me back. I needed to know what was going to happen...I believe that if I read the earlier books things may have made a bit more sense, by the end of the story everything started coming together for me.

For anyone looking for a new fantasy series to I would recommend taking a look at this one.

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book from Bethany House/Baker Publishing Group for review. I was in no way compensated for this review.

If fantasy is not a reader's favorite genre, he may be confused and disappointed by this book. There are several stories running concurrently as well as some flashbacks and prophetic events. Characters range from plain Anglo-Saxons to winged creatures. Dwarfs, faeries, lords, ladies, scrubbers, and assorted netherworld beings populate the story and move between worlds and realities.

This was a difficult story to follow, which may be discouraging. The main plot involves the succession to king after the death of an earl. The heir apparent is the earl's nephew, Alistair, who is betrothed to the very bright, beautiful Lady Leta, but who suffers from fears and insomnia. Lady Leta sees and understands as events unfold and secrets are revealed. Alastair may be the designated heir to the throne, yet there is another; a very unexpected man. Plots and sabotage abound as the mystery leads the reader on a long, magical journey.

This is the fifth in a series of books called the Tales of Goldstone Wood. It may be helpful for readers to read the series in order. Although the story is well told, it takes many side trips, which requires readers to concentrate, sort characters and recall past events.

I was given a free copy of this book by Bethany House Publishers for the purpose of review. I recommend this book to adult and teenage readers who enjoy fantasy stories.

I was looking forward to reading this book because I enjoy fantasy novels. When I first started reading it I didn't care for it. I found myself thinking things like "what just happened" "who is that" "this is weird." At the same time the book was not boring, so it was easy for me to keep reading. The book has more than one storyline and it was hard to keep track of it at first. About half way through the book it started to make sense and I started to enjoy it. Because the book is based in a make believe world a lot of names and terms are made up, which also added to the difficulty in understanding what was happening in the book. The other complaint I have is that the story would constantly change whose point of view the book was from. Usually a book separates different character's point of view by chapters. This book would say what one character was thinking and then the next page it was about someone else. It was annoying at first, but I got used to that as well. So, at first I thought I would give the book a 3 because some parts were confusing. By the time I was finished with it I decided to give it a 4. I found that I truly enjoyed the book. It always held my interest. I also enjoyed the fact that it was such a unique storyline and different from anything I have ever read. I liked the characters as well and I would read another book from the series. To anyone who wants to read this book I say don't stop in the beginning because it does get better.

I received this book for free from Bethany House Publishers for my honest review

Dragonwitch by Anne Elizabeth Stengl is the fifth book in the Tales of Goldstone Wood Series. This is a Christian fantasy series for young adults, recommended especially for teens, although adult lovers of fiction can enjoy the stories as well.

The North Country is at a turning point. Old Earl Ferox is reaching the end of his life...and his days as the most powerful earl of the North Country. His nephew Alistair is trying to feel prepared to take on the role of Earl and someday King of the North Country, since Earl Ferox has no heir....or so it was supposed. A shocking deathbed discovery turns all of Alistair's mother's well-laid plans upside down.

Into this is thrown Lady Leta of Aiven, a submissive girl who is sent to be the soon-to-be wife of Alistair. She might not want to marry him, but she is much too well trained to speak her mind...or is she?

Supernatural elements are woven into the story, along with hideous creatures, other worlds, and memorable characters. I would suggest it to fantasy lovers of all ages.

I received this book free from Bethany House publishers as part of their blogger book review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own.